Soon after the Chernobyl accident, the radioactive cloud, carrying the nuclides released
into the atmosphere, reached Romania and, due to the rainy weather, an important fallout
occurred over the Romanian territory. The most important contaminants for Romania
were I131, Cs134, Cs137 and Sr90. As in
many other countries, in the first days, I131 had the main contribution
to the irradiation dose released to the population. After its decay, and the decay
of other short-lived radionuclides, Cs137 and Sr90 remained
the most important contaminants. The principal route of intake for these two radionuclides
is considered to be the ingestion of contaminated foods. To assess the radioactive
burden of foods, a long term, large scale survey was initiated at the National Institute
of Hygiene and Public Health (INISP). These results were then used to assess the doses
committed to cesium and strontium intake and the excedentary cancer risk for the population
from Bucharest area